Lithuanian Rower Attempting Ocean Crossing Rescued By Australia Navy

SYDNEY, March 3 (Bernama-dpa) -- A Lithuanian man who had to abandon an attempt to row across the Pacific Ocean from California to Queensland due to a tropical cyclone was rescued by an Australian Navy vessel and receiving treatment on board.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said that it received an emergency beacon signal on Friday night from Aurimas Mockus, who was attempting to travel 12,000 kilometres from San Diego to Brisbane when he got "caught in the path of Cyclone Alfred off the Queensland coast."

The authority said that the conditions in the area were "treacherous with winds up to 100km/h and heavy seas."

Australian Navy's HMAS Choules finally managed to reach the rower, who was stranded about 740 kilometres off the Queensland coast, at about 6.30 am on Monday (2030 GMT Sunday), news agency AAP reported. 

"The solo sailor has been rescued and is safely on board HMAS Choules undergoing a medical assessment," AAP cited Vice Admiral Justin Jones as saying in a statement. The ship was now heading to Sydney.

Mockus had set off from San Diego in Southern California in October and was days away from reaching his final destination after rowing about 70 nautical miles a day, Australian media reported.

British rower Peter Bird is widely considered to be the first person to row solo and non-stop across the Pacific Ocean. 

In 1983, he went from San Francisco to Australia, but was rescued near the Barrier Reef some 50 kilometres from the mainland by the Australian Navy after 294 days at sea.

Due to how close he was to land when he received assistance his attempt was still considered successful by both the adjudicators for the sport, The Ocean Rowing Society and Guinness World Records.

--BERNAMA-dpa